


04. Candy Canes

by greywolfheir



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Candy Canes, Gen, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-14
Updated: 2013-12-14
Packaged: 2018-01-04 14:44:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 968
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1082239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greywolfheir/pseuds/greywolfheir
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Someone is secretly giving out candy canes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	04. Candy Canes

Natasha was the first one to find it. It was a candy cane, lying on her bed with a red bow attached to it. She was confused and suspicious at first, but she didn’t think it could be too dangerous. She gingerly picked it up and after inspecting every inch of it, she realized it was safe. After thinking a bit about who it could possibly have come from, she smiled. Of course she knew where it came from. She quickly unwrapped it and made a note to give Clint a gift in return.

 

* * *

 

Bruce Banner was a little bit more confused than Natasha had been, but he was also more trusting. When he saw the candy cane lying on his bed (still with the red bow), he picked it up easily and gave it no more than a cursory glance before tossing it on his desk. He didn’t really eat peppermint anyway. There was no note, but if whoever gave him the cane revealed themselves, he’d thank them later.

 

* * *

 

Thor was much less quiet about his present. Not really knowing exactly what it was, he brought it with him when he saw the rest of the Avengers next and asked them to explain this new Midgardian item to him.

“We call it a candy cane,” Steve explained. “It’s a kind of candy you get around wintertime.”

“Present from your girlfriend?” Tony asked.

“There was no note,” Thor responded. “I’m not sure who it was that gave me this.”

“Wait a second—that looks exactly like…” Bruce stood up from the table. “Wait here.”

He came back from his room bearing his identical candy cane. Natasha sat up straight.

“I got one of those too,” she said. She turned to Clint. “I thought it was a present from you.”

“Nope, your present’s waiting till Christmas day,” Clint said with a wink.

“Then who…” Natasha trailed off, eyeing everyone at the table. Tony and Steve, the only ones left who didn’t have candy canes both shrugged, looking as confused as everyone else. Since the candy canes didn’t seem to be poisonous or otherwise deadly, they all shrugged it off as a mystery to be solved later.

 

* * *

 

The next candy cane didn’t come until a week later. Tony was the one to find it, not on his bed but in his workshop. Whoever was handing them out certainly knew where Tony would be—or, where he _wouldn’t_ be. Tony picked it up and twirled it between his fingers for a moment before heading off to go find Captain Star-Spangled Banner.

“Stark, it’s three in the morning,” Steve said. “What do you want?”

“I thought freedom never sleeps,” Tony said with a smirk. Before Steve could do much more than glare, Tony held up the candy cane. “I got one of these things too, which means you’re next.”

Steve shook his head and reached over to his dresser, holding up his own candy cane. “Found this earlier today. Why did you wake me up for this?”

“What if there’s some sort of evil plot behind this?” Tony asked.

“With candy canes?” Steve asked incredulously. “Maybe someone’s just being nice.”

“Or maybe not. We need to find out who’s doing this,” Tony said.

“We can do that in the morning. I’m going to bed now. Good night.” Steve slammed the door in Tony’s face.

 

* * *

 

The next morning, Tony called everyone into his room, where he immediately began discussing the Candy Cane Ordeal. Everyone seemed to have their own ideas about who it was and why they were doing it—well, except for Thor, who had just learned what a candy cane was and didn’t quite understand this secret gift-giving. Steve was still determined to let whoever they were pass out their presents in blissful anonymity.

“Well, Clint seems to be the only one who hasn’t gotten a candy cane yet,” Bruce pointed out.

Clint held up his hands. “Trust me, I’m not the kind of person to pass out candy canes.”

“What if they gave one to themselves to throw suspicion off of them?” Tony suggested.

“Well, I’m about as likely to give out candy canes as Clint here,” Natasha said immediately. “And Thor has no idea what candy canes even are.”

They all turned to Bruce, who shook his head. “It’s a nice thing to do and something I wish I would have thought of but it wasn’t me.”

“Hold on,” Natasha said, turning to Steve. “You’re the one trying to stop all of us from finding out who it is. Isn’t that a little suspicious?”

Everyone murmured their agreement and faced the Captain, who huffed. “No, it wasn’t me.”

Tony crossed his arms. “Well that sounded convincing.”

Clint interrupted any further accusations by saying, “I don’t actually think it’s him. I’ve got an idea though. Just keep alert tonight. You’ll know when to come.”

Everyone was confused then, but they shrugged and adjourned the meeting

Later that day, all the Avengers heard a loud sharp call that sounded like a bird coming from Clint’s room, and they all dropped whatever they were doing and raced there. Clint was standing outside his room, waiting for everyone to show up.

“I set up a tripwire in my room, and whoever our secret Santa is set it off,” Clint said. He looked at everyone present. “It looks like all of us are here, though.”

“We shall find out who it is when you open the door,” Thor said.

Clint nodded and slowly opened up the door. He turned the lights on to reveal…Nick Fury.

Everyone froze in shock as Fury glared them each down one-by-one. Tony was the first to react, bursting into laughter.

“ _Fury?_ It was you this whole time?” he asked when he was able to breathe.

“Merry Christmas, motherfuckers.”

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Avengers fic, really! I hope you guys like it.


End file.
